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As the green leaves of the vineyards make their return in the summer months, Stellenbosch is transformed into an alluring location for locals and tourists alike. The abundance of wine estates, lodges and other scenic venues makes it one of the most popular wedding destinations in the Western Cape. Kleine Zalze is no exception, and was exceptionally well received by the guests on Jacques and Nicole’s wedding day.

There is one date in the Cape Town alternative festival calendar that never disappoints, RAMFEST! Yes, this glorious weekend of camping and non-stop boozing in the sun sure keeps on growing and growing. This year, RAMFEST 2013 was held at the Circle of Dreams farm in the middle of nowhere, also called Riviersonderend. The venue had great shaded camping grounds, a river for relaxing on a tube, great food stalls and other bare necessities. The big name international acts that graced the stage were…Bring Me The Horizon, Rise Against, Pendulum’s Verse DJ Set and The Inspector Cluzo. These and some other great local talent ensured that the entertainment standard was kept high all weekend long, requiring more than one day to fully recover from a weekend of vicious ramming by the Cape’s best party animals. Below are some of my favorite band photos from RAMfest 2013, Cape Town. You can find the rest of the album on my Facebook Page (SL Photography) and my personal profile.

Late afternoon on a wine farm, looking out on a spectacularly warm glowing sunset with a view of autumn coloured vineyards leading to the hazy pink Helderberg Mountains. This feeling of warmth, love and friendship is surely what we all want on our wedding day, and that exactly whats Willie and Leza got on their perfect day at Skilpadvlei, just outside Stellenbosch, the capital of the winelands district in Western Cape.

The morning started wet and early, and as the rain came down I made my way to Bloubergstrand to meet Irma and Andrea on their wedding day. After preparations at Sunset Lodge, the chauffeur promptly collected the bride to be for an intimate ceremony in a church nearby. The newlyweds’ hearts were further warmed by a serenade performance from the young harpist after avidly reciting their wedding vows to each other. Soon after some family portraits were taken, the guests made their way to On The Rocks Restaurant where the tables were set for a lively group of family and friends to continue the celebrations in the honour of this stunning couple.

A Beautiful bride riding a white horse on a sunny beach. This was the scene I was faced with when asked by fellow wedding photographer, Stephanie Loubser, to assist her with a wedding on the West Coast. The bride was surprised by the delivery of a horse to take her to be wed at the lodge with panoramic sea views. This was the setting at the small and intimate wedding of Johan & Chrizette at Blue Bay Lodge in Saldanha Bay, Western Cape, South-Africa. A beach wedding on a rainy day that turned to perfect sunshine.

Dark and moody photo shoot with model, Karen.
Below are a few of my favourites from the day’s work at an old abandoned police station in a town called Strand.
I deliberately applied different styles of processing on the images, mainly to play around, but also to try to create a sense of individualism, with the hope that each processing style provokes the specific emotion that the image is trying to convey.

What a great time for a wedding in the Cape Winelands district. The vineyards are lush green and the sweet wine grapes are almost ready for harvesting. As this was my first ever wedding as the primary photographer, I was a bit nervous. Using rented equipment I had no experience with, while trying to capture all the required events, was quite a tricky task. Overall I am very pleased with the results, and have learned a lot from my experience.

Knowing your equipment, and the ability to quickly execute photographic decisions based on the time and location, are some of the key factors that makes a successful wedding photographer.

All an all I had a great time with my new friends Jaco & Lydia and the day as a whole was a complete success! Below, find a few of my personal favourites shot on Jaco & Lydia’s wedding day held on the 4th of March 2011 at Skilpadvlei, just outside Stellenbosch, South-Africa.